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John McCain III's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

John McCain III has refused to provide voters with positions on key issues covered by the 2016 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart and voters like you.

What is the Political Courage Test?

Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2016.

  • Rated 6% by Planned Parenthood (votesmart.org)
  • Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. "Support" (votesmart.org)
  • Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape. "Support" (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor for H.R.36 "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" (votesmart.org)
  • "America cannot tax its way to prosperity. That is why it is so critical that we set aside partisan politics to reform and modernize our tax code in a manner that spurs economic growth, creates jobs, eliminates special interest tax loopholes, and lowers both the individual and corporate tax rates." (www.mccain.senate.gov)
  • "At a time when our economy is struggling, John McCain believes it is unconscionable to threaten our economy with higher taxes to fund a spending binge that is riddled with special interests and corruption." (votesmart.org)
  • "John has consistently fought for a strong criminal justice system that protects the innocent and punishes those who break the law by ensuring that our nation's first-responders and our federal, state and local prosecutors have the resources and tools they need to keep our neighborhoods safe." (votesmart.org)
  • "The legislation that passed today provides our communities with the resources they need to prevent drug use, help law enforcement stop the spread of dangerous drugs on the street, combat overdoses, and support victims by increasing access to treatment." (votesmart.org)
  • "Every major spending bill, including the so-called stimulus bill, has been riddled with earmarks and wasteful spending." (votesmart.org)
  • "John has always fought the earmarks and wasteful projects that so often occur in transportation policy. Instead, John has fought to increase the role of the state in setting transportation priorities and to improve its ability to carry-out projects without federal government interference, always while working with the state, cities, and counties in Arizona to ensure the State has the necessary resources to support Arizona's growing population." (votesmart.org)
  • Cosponsored and voted in favor of S.Amdt.2573 "Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2012" (votesmart.org)
  • "America cannot tax its way to prosperity. That is why it is so critical that we set aside partisan politics to reform and modernize our tax code in a manner that spurs economic growth, creates jobs, eliminates special interest tax loopholes, and lowers both the individual and corporate tax rates." (www.mccain.senate.gov)
  • "John believes that Congress must soon pass tax reform to lower both personal and corporate tax rates, as well eliminate tax loopholes, and insist upon responsible federal budgeting in order to fully enable Americans to pursue financial success." (votesmart.org)
  • "Keep Tax Rates Low: Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity. Entrepreneurs create the ultimate job security - a new, better opportunity if your current job goes away." (votesmart.org)
  • "Senator McCain also believes that Arizona students are best served when parents, teachers, and state and local officials—not federal bureaucrats—are in control of the federal tax dollars supporting education, [...]" (johnmccain.com)
  • "We will award bonuses as well to our highest-achieving teachers. And instead of measuring teacher achievement by conformity to process, we will measure it by the success of their students. Moreover, the funds for these bonuses will not be controlled by faraway officials. Under these reforms, we will put the money and the responsibilities where they belong -- in the office of the school principal." (votesmart.org)
  • "It is extremely disappointing but not surprising to see President Obama favor his liberal environmentalist allies over jobs for hardworking Americans by rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline. This pipeline would have immediately put Americans to work, enabled our nation to increase its domestic energy supply, and invested billions into an economy that is still recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression." (votesmart.org)
  • Signed a letter stating, "Nebraska has now addressed the outstanding concerns you raised when you denied the permit, and we therefore urge you to finish expeditiously the review process and approve the pipeline." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S.1 "A Bill to Approve the Keystone XL Pipeline" (votesmart.org)
  • "John McCain will encourage the market for alternative, low carbon fuels such as wind, hydro and solar power.[...]To develop these and other sources of renewable energy will require that we rationalize the current patchwork of temporary tax credits that provide commercial feasibility." (votesmart.org)
  • "Our legislation would remove government roadblocks and cut red tape that delays and sometimes prevents onshore American energy production. [...] It would set clear rules for developing U.S. oil-shale resources and would take steps to create a true all-of-the-above American energy plan, one that uses our vast natural resources to develop both traditional and renewable energy." (www.mccain.senate.gov)
  • "Demonstrating an unparalleled disregard for congressional intent, the EPA is attempting to make a case that Congress intended to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, even though greenhouse gas emissions were not formally addressed by the act. Conversely, EPA claims that the tons-per-year threshold set by Congress in the Clean Air Act should not apply to greenhouse gases. In simpler terms, EPA believes that although Congress didn't cover greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, it really did, and although Congress set thresholds for covered pollutants, it really didn't." (votesmart.org)
  • "I believe with what we did in addressing acid rain, which was through a cap-and-trade kind of dynamic, we were able to largely eliminate the problem of acid rain in America. So it has been done before, and we can do it again, admittedly on a much smaller scale." (votesmart.org)
  • Cosponsored and voted in favor of S.J.Res.23 "A Joint Resolution Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of a Rule Submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency Relating to "Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units" " (votesmart.org)
  • Think Progress "Q: If we knew then what we know today about these scientists and this fraud, would you still be in favor of capping carbon emissions at 2000 levels? MCCAIN: I’ve never favored it at a certain level. I’ve favored reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the good of — I mean we all know that greenhouse gases are bad! But I’ve said, in order to achieve that we have to have nuclear power as a component of it." (thinkprogress.org)
  • "While John has also supported responsible measures that would prevent criminals and the judicially-declared mentally ill from obtaining firearms, he will continue to vigorously support measures that support Arizona’s rich gun-ownership heritage and protect this right that Arizonans so dearly cherish." (johnmccain.com)
  • "I believe deeply that we can and must do more to keep guns out the hands of dangerous terrorists who seek to harm us, but I believe just as deeply that we cannot do it at the expense of the constitutional due process rights of law-abiding citizens. That is why I voted in favor of Senator Johnson's legislation that would prevent individuals on the "No Fly' and "Selectee' terrorist watch lists from purchasing a gun and enable law enforcement to take suspected terrorists off the streets while also providing law-abiding citizens with due process protections upfront." (votesmart.org)
  • "President Obama's executive orders on gun control are just the first of thousands of new unilateral actions that the White House plans to roll out this year that are projected to cost American businesses and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. With these unconstitutional executive orders, President Obama has once again ignored the separation of powers and disregarded the rule of law. Regardless of merit, this is a classic abuse of executive power." (votesmart.org)
  • Voted in favor of S.Amdt.719 "Authorizes Reciprocity for the Carrying of Certain Concealed Firearms" (votesmart.org)
  • "Obamacare is a failure and the American people do not believe in it. It isn't just the problems with the rollout and the website. We need to repeal this horrendous mistake." (www.nationaljournal.com)
  • "John led the original effort in the Senate to oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare, advocating its repeal and replacement." (johnmccain.com)
  • Voted in favor of H.R.3762 "Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015" (votesmart.org)
  • "The program will also ensure that all undocumented aliens either leave or follow the path to legal residence. America cannot permit a permanent category of individuals that do not have recognized status - a permanent second class. In addition, the program will provide a system that is fair, humane, realistic, and ensures the rights of the individual and families will be protected. Ensure that families are reunited." (votesmart.org)
  • "Yes, we offer a path to citizenship to people who didn’t come here legally. They are here and realistically there is nothing we can do that will induce them all to return to their countries of origin." (www.mccain.senate.gov)
  • Cosponsored and voted in favor of S.744 "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 0% by Human Rights Campaign (votesmart.org)
  • "COOPER: Senator, I want to ask you about your colleague, senator Portman's, announcement. He is now, the only Republican senator supporting same-sex marriage. Can you ever see yourself considering a similar short of shift? SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Well, I don't think so because of my religious beliefs but I respect anyone else's decision and we all learn in life and grow and mature. I have changed my position on other issues in my life, but on this one, I had not contemplated changing my position." (votesmart.org)
  • "The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman." (votesmart.org)
  • "My thoughts and prayers are with the people of France and all those who lost loved ones in the horrific terrorist attack in Nice. This attack must strengthen our resolve to work with France and our other allies to destroy the scourge of ISIL as quickly as possible." (votesmart.org)
  • "I have long supported the President's stated goal to 'degrade and ultimately destroy' ISIL. But doing so will require a more coherent, comprehensive strategy, and a recognition that ISIL is a symptom of the disease spawned by Bashar Assad's war on the Syrian people -- both of which have been missing from the Obama Administration's approach to date." (votesmart.org)
  • "John McCain knows that the most difficult and solemn decision a president must make is sending young Americans into harm's way. Having experienced firsthand the brutality of war, as president, John McCain would never make the decision to use force lightly, only when the cause is just, and our nation's values and interests absolutely demand it." (votesmart.org)
  • Rated 19% by Alliance for Retired Americans (votesmart.org)
  • "I want young workers to be able to, if they choose, to take part of their own money, which is their taxes, and put it in an account which has their name on it." (articles.latimes.com)
  • Huffington Post "John McCain tried to deny past comments on Social Security reform yesterday, a move which has exposed him to criticism from his rival as well as obscuring the record on what entitlement changes McCain would seek to correct. During last night's pre-screened town hall, John McCain took a hard line against George Bush's plan to privatize social security saying, "But I'm not for quote privatizing Social Security, I never have been, I never will be." (www.huffingtonpost.com)
This candidate has responded to a Political Courage Test in a previous election. As a continued effort to provide the American public with factual information on candidates running for public office, these archived responses are made available here.
The Political Courage Test asks candidates which items they will support if elected. It does not ask them to indicate which items they will oppose. Through extensive research of public polling data, we discovered that voters are more concerned with what candidates would support when elected to office, not what they oppose. If a candidate does not select a response to any part or all of any question, it does not necessarily indicate that the candidate is opposed to that particular item.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

a) Abortions should always be illegal.
b) Abortions should always be legal.
c) Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
X d) Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
X e) Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
X f) Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
X g) Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
h) Other or expanded principles

Using the key, indicate what federal funding levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.Budget Priorities

Maintain Status a) Agriculture
Slightly Decrease b) Arts
Slightly Increase c) Defense
Slightly Increase d) Education
Maintain Status e) Environment
Slightly Increase f) Homeland security
Maintain Status g) International aid
Maintain Status h) Law enforcement
Slightly Increase i) Medical research
Slightly Increase j) National parks
Maintain Status k) Public health services
Maintain Status l) Scientific research
Slightly Decrease m) Space exploration programs
Maintain Status n) Transportation and highway infrastructure
Maintain Status o) Welfare
Eliminate p) Other or expanded categories
Pork barrel projects

Defense Spending

Slightly Increase a) Armed Forces personnel training
Greatly Increase b) Intelligence operations
Slightly Increase c) Military hardware
Slightly Increase d) Modernization of weaponry and equipment
Slightly Increase e) National missile defense
Greatly Increase f) Pay for active duty personnel
Greatly Increase g) Programs to improve troop retention rates
Slightly Increase h) Research and development of new weapons
Greatly Increase i) Troop and equipment readiness
Eliminate j) Other or expanded categories
Defense pork barrel projects

Using the key above, indicate what federal tax levels you support for the following general categories. Select one number per category.TaxesIncome Taxes:Family IncomeRetiree IncomeOther Taxes:Deductions/Credits:

Greatly Decrease a) Less than $25,000
Greatly Decrease b) $25,000-$75,000
Greatly Decrease c) $75,000-$150,000
Maintain Status d) Over $150,000
e) Other or expanded categories
Greatly Decrease f) Over $40,000
g) Other or expanded categories
a) Alcohol taxes
Greatly Decrease b) Capital gains taxes
Maintain Status c) Cigarette taxes
Slightly Decrease d) Corporate taxes
Slightly Decrease e) Gasoline taxes
Greatly Decrease f) Inheritance taxes
g) Other or expanded categories
Maintain Status a) Charitable contributions
Slightly Increase b) Child tax credit
Slightly Increase c) Earned income tax credit
Greatly Increase d) Medical expense deduction
Maintain Status e) Mortgage deduction
Maintain Status f) Student loan credit
g) Other or expanded categories
No 4) Do you support permanent repeal of the federal estate tax?
No 5) Do you support eliminating taxes on dividends paid to individual investors?
Yes 6) Should a married couple filing jointly pay the same taxes as if they were an unmarried couple filing separately?
Eliminate the marriage penalty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

a) Support public taxpayer funding for federal candidates who comply with campaign spending limits.
b) Increase the amount individuals are permitted to contribute to federal campaigns.
c) Prohibit Political Action Committee (PAC) contributions to candidates for federal office.
d) Allow unregulated soft money campaign contributions to political parties or committees.
e) Allow ads paid for by soft money that support or attack a candidate for federal office.
X f) Allow issue advocacy commercials by corporations, labor unions, and non-profit groups which appear within 60 days of a general election and within 30 days of a primary election.
g) Remove all contribution limits on federal campaigns and parties.
h) Do you support instant run-off voting (IRV)?
Undecided i) Should Election Day be a national holiday?
Yes j) Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
Yes k) Should marriage be restricted to a union only between a man and a woman?
I support the concept of the presidential election campaign fund, but I believe it ought to be reformed so that candidates use it in primaries

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

X a) Support the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
b) Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
X c) Impose "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole.
X d) Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
X e) Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
f) Reduce prison sentences for those who commit non-violent crimes.
X g) Support additional criminal penalties if a fetus is killed in the commission of a federal crime against a pregnant woman.
h) Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.
X i) Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
X j) Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of white-collar crimes.
k) Enforcement of civil rights should primarily be the responsibility of the federal government.
X l) Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
X m) Other or expanded principles
I support at-risk youth programs that are properly authorized & appropriated, not pork barrel projects; very young children should not be prosecuted as adults

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding drugs.

X a) Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
X b) Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
c) Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
d) Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
X e) Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
f) Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the "war on drugs."
g) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

X a) Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
X b) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public school.
X c) Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any private or religious school.
X d) Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
X e) Increase funding for block grants to states to aid in the hiring of additional teachers.
X f) Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
X g) Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
h) Support granting states limited control over Head Start programs.
i) Support changing the mission of Head Start to emphasize improving the math and reading skills of disadvantaged children.
j) Providing education is not a responsibility of the federal government.
k) Support affirmative action in public college admissions.
X l) Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
X m) Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
n) Other or expanded principles

1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding affirmative action.

X a) Increase funding for national job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
X b) Reduce government regulation of the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
X c) Provide tax credits or grants to businesses that offer child care services to employees.
X d) Encourage employers to offer flex-time scheduling, comp-time, and unpaid leave for family emergencies.
e) Eliminate all federal programs designed to reduce unemployment.
f) Increase the federal minimum wage.
g) Support the right of workers to strike without fear of being permanently replaced.
X h) Allow workers to sell company stock and to diversify their company retirement funds into other investment options.
i) Other or expanded principles
a) The federal government should consider race and gender in government contracting decisions.
b) The federal government should discontinue affirmative action programs.
c) The federal government should continue affirmative action programs.
d) Include sexual orientation in federal anti-discrimination laws.
e) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

X a) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.
X b) Strengthen the regulation and enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
X c) Require states to compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses of privately-owned land.
d) Relax logging restrictions on federal lands.
e) Relax standards on federal lands to allow increased recreational usage.
f) Support increased development of traditional energy resources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil).
X g) Strengthen emission controls and fuel efficiency standards on all gasoline and diesel-powered engines, including cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles.
h) Support opening a select portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration.
X i) Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
X j) Support the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
X k) Allow energy producers to trade pollution credits.
l) Support the U.S. re-entering the Kyoto treaty process to limit global warming.
X m) Other or expanded principles
I supported Healthy Forests legislation encouraging thinning in areas where communities exist near forests.

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

a) Renew the ban on the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
X b) Maintain and strengthen the current level of enforcement of existing federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
c) Ease federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
d) Repeal federal restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
X e) Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
X f) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
X g) Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
h) Require a license for gun possession.
i) Establish a national database of ballistic "fingerprints" to track guns used in criminal activities.
X j) Support legislation that would protect manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms from civil lawsuits by crime victims.
k) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health care.

a) Providing health care is not a responsibility of the federal government.
b) Implement a universal health care program to guarantee coverage to all Americans regardless of income.
X c) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes appeal mechanisms when claims are denied.
X d) Support a Patient's Bill of Rights which includes the right to sue when claims are denied.
X e) Expand eligibility for tax-free medical savings accounts.
X f) Establish limits on the amount of punitive damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
X g) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
h) Support expanding prescription drug coverage under private managed care plans.
X i) Offer tax credits to individuals and small businesses to offset the cost of insurance coverage.
X j) Support automatic enrollment of children in federal health care programs such as CHIP and Medicaid.
k) Allow 55-65 year-olds to buy into Medicare.
X l) Support stem cell research on existing lines of stem cells.
m) Allow laboratories to create new lines of stem cells for additional research.
n) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding immigration.

a) Decrease the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country.
b) Establish English as the official national language.
X c) Increase the number of visas issued for agricultural workers.
X d) Relax restrictions barring legal immigrants from using social programs (e.g. public housing, food stamps).
e) Support amnesty for certain illegal immigrants who already reside in the United States.
f) Support the detention of asylum seekers from countries known to sponsor terrorism.
X g) Other or expanded principles
I support comprehensive immigration reform allowing willing employers & employees to connect, while protecting American jobs & securing our borders

International AidIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding United States economic assistance.

X a) Aid should be granted to countries when extraordinary circumstances cause disaster and threaten civilian lives.
X b) Aid should be granted to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States.
c) Aid should be eliminated for any nation with documented human rights abuses.
d) Aid programs should be scaled back and eventually eliminated.
e) Other or expanded principles

International Policy1) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the Middle East.2) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Central and East Asia.3) Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the United Nations.

Yes a) Should the United States continue to provide leadership in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
Yes b) Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
No c) Should the United States withdraw its troops from Iraq?
e) Other or expanded principles
Yes a) Should the United States use diplomatic and economic pressure to encourage North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program?
b) Should the United States use military force to destroy the North Korean nuclear weapons program?
c) Should the United States remove the North Korean government from power?
Yes d) Should the United States increase financial support to Afghanistan?
Yes e) Should the United States increase military support to Afghanistan?
Yes a) Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?
No b) Should the United States decrease its financial support of the United Nations?
Yes c) Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
No 4) Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
Yes 5) Should the United States increase its financial support to Colombia to combat "the war on drugs"?
Yes 6) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention programs fund distribution of contraceptives?
Yes 7) Should aid to African nations for AIDS prevention fund abstinence education?
8) Other or expanded principles
1st we need to dispense the funds that have already been authorized & appropriated, next we need to work w/ the international community to financially support the reconstruction effort. Finally, we need to be prepared to spend what it takes to assure success. It is too important not to fail
All options should be on the table w/ regard to N. Korea, but all opportunities should be exhausted before military force is used
While implementing reforms, our nation should participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations when defense of our national interests and values calls for such action, provided the U.S. maintains operational control of our forces.

International TradeIndicate which principles you support (if any) regarding international trade.

Yes 1) Do you support the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?
Yes 2) Do you support the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?
Yes 3) Do you support continued U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO)?
4) Should a nation's human rights record affect its normal trade relations (most favored nation) status with the United States?
Yes 5) Do you support the trade embargo against Cuba?
No 6) Should trade agreements include provisions to address environmental concerns and to protect workers' rights?
7) Other or expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding national security.

Yes a) Do you support using military tribunals to try suspected terrorists when ordinary civilian courts are deemed inappropriate or impractical?
Yes b) Should the United States adopt stricter rules for student visa applications from nations known to sponsor terrorism?
No c) Should the United States grant law enforcement agencies greater discretion to read mail and email, tap phones, and conduct random searches to prevent future terrorist attacks?
Yes d) Should the United States hold foreign states accountable for terrorists who operate in their country?
Yes e) Should the federal government increase funding to states and cities for homeland security?
Yes f) Do you support a policy of pre-emptive strikes against countries deemed to be a threat to national security?
Pre-emptive strikes should be evaluated on a case by case basis depending on the severity of the threat

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding Social Security.

X a) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage themselves.
b) Allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts managed by private firms contracted by the government.
c) Invest a portion of Social Security assets collectively in stocks and bonds instead of United States Treasury securities.
d) Increase the payroll tax to better finance Social Security in its current form.
e) Lower the annual cost-of-living increases.
f) Raise the retirement age for when individuals are eligible to receive full Social Security benefits.
g) Other of expanded principles

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding technology and communication.

a) Collect taxes on commercial Internet transactions.
X b) Continue the moratorium on Internet taxation.
c) Implement regulation of Internet content.
d) Support government mandates to curtail violent and sexual content on television.
X e) Support strict penalties for Internet crimes (e.g. hacking, identity theft, worms/viruses).
X f) Support legislation to detail how personal information can be collected and used on the Internet.
g) Regulating the Internet is not a responsibility of the federal government.
h) Impose regulations on "spam" emails.
X i) Other or expanded principles
Reasonable regulations should be enacted to protect individual privacy on & off line. Consistant regulation of pornography, fradulent activity, etc... should exist on & off line

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare and poverty.

X a) Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
X b) Increase funding for child care programs.
X c) Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
X d) Direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based, or other non-profit organizations.
e) Abolish all federal welfare programs.
X f) Support housing assistance for low-income families.
g) Other or expanded principles
On an attached page, disk, or via email, please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.

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